Closing a middle school and converting others to K-8 stirs opposition in West Contra Costa Unified

The superintendent in West Contra Costa Unified says his district is losing enrollment as students finish sixth grade. Rather than move on to middle school, they often jump to charter and private schools.

Superintendent Matthew Duffy thought he had a solution by converting six K-6 elementary schools into K-8 schools, which feed into DeJean Middle School, the only middle school in Richmond. The district could even convert that school into an arts campus to attract students from across the district.